Plane carrying Queen Elizabeth II forced to redirect due to thunderstorm

A plane with Queen Elizabeth II onboard was forced to redirect its course after it encountered a thunderstorm on its way back from Scotland.

The 96-year-old monarch was on a visit to her Scottish residence of Balmoral ahead of the four-day celebration of her Platinum Jubilee, marking her 70 years on the throne.

The 13-seater plane had to abandon landing on the first attempt due to the storm. It had to circle London and the surrounding areas for 15 minutes before it landed successfully, according to media reports.

"The Queen's flight was delayed due to a lightning storm, all correct procedures were followed and there were no safety concerns," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told NBC News. After the minor hiccup, the queen was pictured arriving back at Windsor Castle in a car with her dog in the back of the vehicle.

Earlier on Tuesday, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson had said that the queen had gone to Scotland for a short break before she starts the celebrations.

Queen Elizabeth II is the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee. Several events are being organised all across the UK to mark the occasion.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will also be joining the Platinum Jubilee celebrations with their children Archie and Lilibet. The queen will be meeting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's daughter Lilibet for the first time on Saturday.

The celebrations will begin with the traditional Trooping the Colour military ceremony. As many as 1,500 personnel and 350 horses from the Household Division will take part in the ceremony. The queen is also expected to appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony with members of the royal family for a special flypast.

These celebrations are also expected to provide a boost to Britain's beleaguered economic sector. Businesses are expecting better sales while pubs and restaurants are expecting a rush of customers during the four-day long holiday.